Liquid conditioning agents are commonly employed to enhance the manageability and appearance of the hair of humans and animals. Conditioning agents include materials which are substantive to hair, i.e., which are absorbed onto the hair. Such agents include various modified proteins and other film-forming natural and synthetic polymers. Typically, the hair is thoroughly wetted, an amount of shampoo is manually rubbed into the hair, and the cleaned hair is rinsed. The conditioning agents are then applied to the hair prior to the final water rinse and drying steps.
Hairstyling requires further application of liquid or semi-liquid resins and waxes, which are usually rubbed or sprayed into the hair, or applied after the hair has been wrapped around rollers. The treated hair can then be recurled or otherwise shaped by combing, or brushing in conjunction with a blow dryer. Styling agents, such as mousses and gels, can be extremely sticky and thus difficult to use and apply. Glazes and lotions, on the other hand, are typically runny and messy as mentioned above. Any of these agents may be difficult to dispense uniformly throughout the hair. For this reason, their use may require excessive brushing, which may be inconvenient, uncomfortable, and unduly time consuming. Also, use of the conventional agents may require continued washing of the stylist's hands, since many of the agents are applied manually. Furthermore, they may require considerable skill for effective use.
Styling often includes the use of electric rollers or curling irons. The heat from these items may overly dry the hair, causing damage. This is a particular problem with hair which has been chemically treated, for example, hair which has been dyed or colored.
Hair coloring products are commercially available which may be used to temporarily alter or "refresh" the hair color of humans and animals. Such products have been characterized as "temporary" in that they may be substantially removed from the hair by a single shampooing. Representative temporary hair coloring products are commercially available in the form of water-based lotions, for example, Instant Beauty.TM., available from Clairol, Inc., Stamford, Connecticut; and Fanci-Full.RTM., available from Roux Laboratories, Jacksonville, Fl. The lotions may further contain propylene glycol, alcohol, preservatives, and the like, as well as one or more dyes, for example, D&C Green No. 5, D&C Orange No. 4, D&C Red No. 33, D&C Yellow No. 10, Ext. D&C Violet No. 2, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Red No. 4, Direct Black 51, Acid Violet 43, Direct Red 80, and Acid Orange 24.
These lotion-based products are disadvantageous in that they may be difficult to apply thoroughly and evenly throughout the length of the hair, and may run and drip, staining clothing and irritating the eyes of the user. Further, the application of lotion-based products generally requires the use of a person's hands, so that the lotion can be worked through the hair, as discussed above. Contact of the hair color dye with skin may cause staining; therefore, the wearing of plastic gloves may be necessitated to protect the user's hands. In addition, cotton strips or other absorbent material may be required for placement around the face, at the base of the hair, to absorb lotion which runs or drips out of the hair, and thus prevent contact with the user's eyes or skin.
Temporary hair coloring products are also commercially available in the form of alcohol-based aerosol sprays, for example, Metallics.TM. Hair Color, available from E. Davis, Inc., Piscataway, N.J. These novelty-type products may contain metallic pigments to impart an iridescent, metallic sheen to the hair. The alcohol in these products may be damaging to hair which is subsequently styled with heating elements such as blow dryers, curling irons, and heated rollers. Furthermore, by nature of their aerosol spray-on application, these products can be accidentally applied to the skin or eyes, causing damage thereto.
One approach to control the delivery of hair conditioning agents is disclosed by Bolich, Jr. et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,195), wherein a porous substrate, preferably a nonwoven fabric, having thereon a layer of a salt overcoated with a solid layer of conditioner. When wet hair is rubbed with this article, a portion of the salt and the conditioner are transferred to the hair.
Therefore, a need exists for a method which is effective and convenient for rapidly conditioning and/or styling hair, without the problems discussed above. For example, a need exists for a method to effectively, uniformly and conveniently distribute styling and conditioning ingredients throughout the hair. A further need exists for a method which is effective and convenient to rapidly distribute temporary hair coloring agents throughout the hair, at the same time that the hair is styled and conditioned.